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iPhone SE (2016) First Gen SE: How much longer viable?

If you’re not worried about privacy and security for what you do with that phone, use it until it stops working… and that’s anyone’s guess.

Personally, when phone (tablet, laptop, etc) support switches to security patches alone is when I tap out. I’m a mini guy at heart, but you cannot buy what’s not available…
 
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rwh63 said:
well, i waited, like many, for the iphone SE4. instead, we got a $600 16e. i wish they had kept it an SE named model. or, it would be great if they would create a dedicated SE line that caters to what that crowd looks for, esp. price and size.

so, i cling to my first gen. SE. it only has 32gb of storage (i do utilize icloud). the software has topped out at ios 15.8. how much longer can this phone at that level of software continue to function day to day? i could update the browser to firefox or something. i like that my phone has a home button, headphone jack, small size, etc.
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You are asking the wrong people the wrong question. Only you, and your finances, can determine when your 9-year-old iPhone becomes intolerable enough for you to pay to upgrade.

Personally I would wait to see the September 2025 iPhones before deciding if I should get a new iPhone, but I find newer phones cost-effective in my life. If the iPhone 17s will not be in your decision matrix then you just need to make your own decision now.
 
My 6S (same hardware as the SE) still works perfectly, and even the few apps that no longer update continue to work.

Two things you can do to greatly improve performance are to go to Settings and turn on "reduce motion" and "reduce transparency". These two things will reduce overhead on the graphics and improve responsiveness a lot.

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TruthAboveAllElse said:
Maybe a mini form factor at some point. But the mini form factor is clearly off the table at this point. Although I was a hopeful a year or so ago.
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I dunno why they’d change it, that would cost a bunch of retooling and design.

The 13 mini has already had all that paid for.
 
sdfox7 said:
My 6S (same hardware as the SE) still works perfectly, and even the few apps that no longer update continue to work.

Two things you can do to greatly improve performance are to go to Settings and turn on "reduce motion" and "reduce transparency". These two things will reduce overhead on the graphics and improve responsiveness a lot.

View attachment 2484994

i don't see this option on my phoneView attachment 2484996
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rwh63 said:
well, i waited, like many, for the iphone SE4. instead, we got a $600 16e. i wish they had kept it an SE named model. or, it would be great if they would create a dedicated SE line that caters to what that crowd looks for, esp. price and size.

so, i cling to my first gen. SE. it only has 32gb of storage (i do utilize icloud). the software has topped out at ios 15.8. how much longer can this phone at that level of software continue to function day to day? i could update the browser to firefox or something. i like that my phone has a home button, headphone jack, small size, etc.
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Why not get the last iPhone SE from 2022?

16e is interesting but you can get a better deal with any outgoing iPhone 15 model that may sell for under $599.
 
@rwh63

Reduce Transparency is under Settings - Accessibility - Display & Text Size
Reduce Motion is under Settings - Accessibility - Motion

You can also just swipe down from the home screen and type them in the search box (phone unlocked)

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IMG_0672.jpg
 
I'm on my 3rd naked, never cased 1st gen SE. The one I use now has been shattered and missing glass for over a year. Since I'm being forced into a full size phone Im probably gonna get a 16pro this week, probably for free by signing up for a new phone plan.
 
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FeliApple said:
Probably two or three more years of decent compatibility barring Safari, for which you’ll have to use a different device.

iOS 12 is practically incompatible by now, even for my standards. I’ll be upgrading next month from my iPhone Xʀ on iOS 12, so I reckon iOS 15 will suffer a similar fate two or three years from now.
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You do realize that a fresh battery and iOS 18.3.1 will make your device usable. Why waste money on a new iPhone?
 
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rwh63 said:
so, i cling to my first gen. SE. it only has 32gb of storage (i do utilize icloud). the software has topped out at ios 15.8. how much longer can this phone at that level of software continue to function day to day?
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IDK, but I fired up mine (same specs as yours) this morning, and everything worked as expected. I noticed that my bank app didn't update to the latest, but it worked anyway. So, for the time being, I'll use mine as a backup. My daily driver is a 13 mini.
 
1037 said:
I'm on my 3rd naked, never cased 1st gen SE. The one I use now has been shattered and missing glass for over a year. Since I'm being forced into a full size phone Im probably gonna get a 16pro this week, probably for free by signing up for a new phone plan.
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In my experience the Pros feel very heavy compared to the old class of iPhones. Especially compared to the OG SE
 
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1rottenapple said:
I mean good job but holy crap. I couldn’t use an se 1st gen. I have an se 2016 and it’s unusable for my daily needs. battery literally goes down precipitously while I use it and I swap the battery.
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I go through about 60% in about 40 hours in mostly standby mode but otherwise it lasts at least a whole day. I've disabled a lot of junk I don't want though.

What's interesting is that the original Apple apps sip power but the new ones just soak it up. For example Music uses almost nothing but you'd think News is trying to solve P = NP.

1rottenapple said:
I mean if you can live without a 9 yr old phone I don’t think any phone will make you change your mind and upgrade unless your phone gets lost or stolen.
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If Apple gave the iPhone Mini 12/13 a 5.1" screen @ 2160x1080 and a USB-C port, I would have upgraded by now even though I'd still miss the headphone jack and dislike the notch. Even a throttled A15 processor would be more than enough for me. An A9 is really enough for anything I want to do on a phone. Though preferably no camera bump. As it stands every phone since the SE1 has been two too many compromises for me.

Otherwise at current rate I will probably have to make the switch to Android with some future Samsung Flip or Oppo...
 
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racerhomie said:
You do realize that a fresh battery and iOS 18.3.1 will make your device usable. Why waste money on a new iPhone?
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A fresh battery and iOS 18 will, with a little luck, give me 60% of the battery life I’m getting on iOS 12. At best.

It’s time to upgrade to the 16 Plus on iOS 18, which will stay on iOS 18 until I upgrade.

I want a good iOS experience, not an absolute iOS updates-induced garbage.
 
Still using my 2016 SE. Not giving it up until it’s completely and utterly unusable. Was at a friend’s house last night and he was showing me pics on his 15 pro max. I couldn’t believe how big and unwieldy the phone is. Do phones have to be that big? It’s ridiculous imo. I wish there was a small phone option available.
 
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sers said:
Still using my 2016 SE. Not giving it up until it’s completely and utterly unusable. Was at a friend’s house last night and he was showing me pics on his 15 pro max. I couldn’t believe how big and unwieldy the phone is. Do phones have to be that big? It’s ridiculous imo. I wish there was a small phone option available.
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I do have my SE1 in my drawer and fire it up from time to time. I love the formfactor but age is an issue...not so much the phone but the owner ;)

I never thought I would consider a bigger phone that then regular 6.1" screen I have now, but after I have been using max zoom mode I realize that a bigger screen has its benefits.
Wouldn't mind an SE1 sized foldable phone tho, could be a pretty nice combination.
 
sers said:
Still using my 2016 SE. Not giving it up until it’s completely and utterly unusable. Was at a friend’s house last night and he was showing me pics on his 15 pro max. I couldn’t believe how big and unwieldy the phone is. Do phones have to be that big? It’s ridiculous imo. I wish there was a small phone option available.
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Well, it is called Max for a reason. 😉
That’s why I just bought the 16 pro, I prefer the smaller size.
 
"I have an se 2016 and it’s unusable for my daily needs. battery literally goes down precipitously while I use it"

I have 2, the one w/ iOS12 lasts a few days, the one w/ iOS14 barely lasted a day. I took it to the Apple store and for $50 they replaced the battery, better now but iOS14 still taxes the processor. I think it came w/ iOS8 or 9?
 
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So I still use the iPhone 13 which is a smooth performer on iOS 18 with no issues in regards to the phone slowing down, etc… I can confidently say, however, that the A9 chips found in the 6S and OGSE are still absolutely fine on iOS 15 in 2025. I have both of these dated phones and they are usable as daily drivers (as long as you have a reasonably fresh battery installed) as they can pretty much do anything a modern iPhone can do, albeit marginally worse. The Safari browsing experience is fine and all websites format in the correct manner, all media apps work without any hitches and the only concerns are banking apps which are beginning to become unsupported. This is a deal breaker for probably 50% of users as it’ll result in them having to utilise 2 devices which defeats the purposes of a light and compact phone.

My 6S and OGSE have taken turns (over the past few years) to act as secondary home devices for TV shows and web-browsing, YouTube, podcasts and music, etc… they are still capable media devices and perform without a hitch.

Folk saying that these 2015/16 devices are pretty much dead right now couldn’t be more wrong, you can do anything on an A9 chip. I was recently banking and buying/selling stocks on eToro with my 6S, for instance.

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sfphoto said:
"I have an se 2016 and it’s unusable for my daily needs. battery literally goes down precipitously while I use it"

I have 2, the one w/ iOS12 lasts a few days, the one w/ iOS14 barely lasted a day. I took it to the Apple store and for $50 they replaced the battery, better now but iOS14 still taxes the processor. I think it came w/ iOS8 or 9?
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Do you still get security updates?
 
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